Crafting beer with Chinese characteristics

Local microbreweries are on the rise, creating premium drinks out of indigenous flavors for a thirsty nation with a taste for the unusual

Swedish-born Thomas Gaestadius, brewmaster and co-founder of Beijing-based microbrewery Arrow Factory Brewing, works surrounded by stainless steel tanks filled with his latest concoctions, which release a thick and pleasant malty scent.

The small brewing facility next to Liangmahe in eastern Beijing opened to the public in January, serving food and craft beer.